Network Question...

[wellmad]

I have a very basic home network consisting of one desktop PC, one laptop and one cross-over cable. I have set it up manually, have shared the internet connection on the desktop so that the laptop can use it and shared many of the folders on both the machines so that they can be accessed from each other. This all works fine, no problems.

The only thing is, in order for all this to work I have to have the Windows firewall enabled, even though I have Norton Internet Security on both machines and have added the IP's of Both to both instances of Nortons safe list in the home networking section. People keep telling me that I should only have one firewall enabled and that I should switch off the Windows firewall, but if I do this, the network stops working and I cannot, for example, access the Internet from the laptop or access files on the desktop from the laptop.

Is this normal? Have I set the network up incorrectly?

[EvilMunky]

weird
switching of the firewall should allow more stuff to work - not less.

I guess possibly when you did the share internet connection thing that if windows firewall was enabled - then it made paths thrugh that. Try turning it of and redoing the connection sharing stuff..

[wellmad]

The windows firewall was disabled when I first set the network up, but I found that when I ran the internet connection sharing wizard, it switched it on automatically...